Fed: Waterfront workers to down tools at 10am

AAP General News (Australia)
04-06-2008
Fed: Waterfront workers to down tools at 10am

CANBERRA, April 6 AAP - Dock workers across Australia will stop work for a minute tomorrow
morning to mark the tenth anniversary of the waterfront dispute.

On April 7, 1998, balaclava clad security guards took control of the wharves on behalf
of port owners - in a move backed by the then coalition government.

Strike breakers were bused in and for weeks unionised workers manned picket lines and
tried to block the new staff from going to work.

A peace deal was finally agreed to in June 1998, part of which involved 700 redundancies,
contracting-out of labour, abandonment of pending legal action and the signing of new
enterprise agreements.

Speaking ahead of tomorrow's stop work minute, Maritime Union of Australia national
secretary Paddy Crumlin declared the dispute "turbulent" and "dreadful".

"We remember a turbulent time on the waterfront - a dispute that not only threatened
the job security of more than 2,000 workers - but took a sometimes dreadful toll on their
families as well," Mr Crumlin said in a statement.

"We remember the way the Howard government orchestrated the attack on these workers,
the tactics of using dogs and hoons in balaclavas to clear the docks and the secret training
of mercenaries in Dubai to replace them."

The anniversary of the dispute has brought a renewed call from the Maritime Union of
Australia for government documents about the fight to be released.

"While the defeat of the Howard government last year marked the end of the national
attack on Australian workers, questions remain about the role elected representatives
played in breaching federal laws," Mr Crumlin said.

The dock workers will stop work at 10am.

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KEYWORD: WORKPLACE

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